Winter in the Woods
by Hokuto123
Summary: Tsunade authorizes the building of a new training ground. She needs a group of 2 to test it. NaruHina
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! BACK OFF! loads 12 gauge shotgun

Winter in the Woods

NaruHina chap.1

Tsunade sat in her office. Her advisers surrounded her. "Lady Hokage, we need to make a new extension to the Jonin exams," one shouted over the hubbub. Another yelled, "They are so easy that our Genin can beat it but not the Chunin exams!" Tsunade sighed. She hadn't had a moment of peace since she had entered her office this morning. She rested her hand on her head. Voices were calling out suggestions all around her. Tsunade felt as if she had a monster hangover. On her last never she shouted, "WILL YOU ALL SHUT THE BLOODY HECK UP BEFORE I FIRE ALL OF YOU!"

Silence fell immediately. Her face was flushed. "Now, I see your point," Tsunade said calmly. She gathered papers and began a sketch. She drew an area similar to the Forest of Death. "Now, I will authorize the building of a new survival part of the test," she continued, "We will need testers of this part before I can make it official. Post posters around the city. We will try it in teams of two and three at first. If they finish it to my liking, I will make it part of the exam." She took a sip of water. Her sake had been knocked over when all of the advisers came in. She finished, "The testers will need a reward. One million Yen and promotion to Jonin."

Naruto walked around the village taking the long way to the ramen shop. He saw ten ninja emerge from the Kage's office. They spread out and went all over the town. Naruto sighed and went in to the ramen shop. "Morning cook! One deluxe ramen with extra shrimp," Naruto called out. He sat down at his usual seat at the bar. He looked over the familiar shop. He noticed a new blue poster on one of the walls. On a closer inspection, it was advertising a new extension to the Jonin exams. It read:

The Jonin exams are being extended and we need new testers for the extension. **ALL **Chunin are eligible for application. Those who test will be rewarded in full with…

Naruto gasped. He then shouted, "ONE MILLION YEN!!!" He continued.

Also, testers will be given a special gift. See Lady Tsunade for application.

Naruto was very shaky when his ramen came. So shaky that he dropped his chopsticks into his ramen. He finished and made a sprint for the Hokage's office.

Hinata was eating breakfast with her father when a knock on the door startled them. Lord Hyuga answered. A breathless ninja stood there with a piece of blue paper in his hand. The ninja bowed and offered the paper. Lord Hyuga took it with scorn. He scanned it and gave the ninja a questioning look. "Lady Tsunade requested that some other ninja and I give these to the heads of clans." The ninja explained. "Very well. You are dismissed," Lord Hyuga said. The ninja took off in another direction as he closed the door.

Hinata sat in her chair as her father read over the flyer again. "Hinata," he said. "Ye…yes father?" he looked up and said, "This is a flyer asking for testers of the new Jonin exams. You are going to take them. There is a reward of one million Yen. You can have it but you have to move out once you receive it." Hinata nodded. She picked up her chopsticks and continued eating. She had seen that it said that it would be a team of two. She wondered who her partner would be. Maybe, she blushed at this thought, just maybe it would be her Naruto-kun.

A knock woke Shino. He walked downstairs and saw his dad talking to a ninja. He saw that the ninja was breathless and had just given his dad a blue form. Shino also heard something about a meeting with Tsunade, Jonin exams, and bugs. He didn't care and went back to bed.

Hokuto123 here. FINALLY! A GOOD STORY LINE FOR A NARUHINA! Plz review. Chapter two up VERY soon.


	2. The Testers

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARTERS!!! SO BACK OFF!!! Loads machine gun with saw on front

Winter in the Woods chap 2

"And you are?" Tsunade's secretary asked. Naruto laughed. "Naruto! Baa-chan knows me!" The secretary pushed up her glasses up with an exaggerated sigh. A voice admitted from a box on her desk saying, "Let him in." The secretary pushed a button on the box and said, "Very well." The door opened and Naruto walked in with a huge grin on his face.

"MORNING BAA-CHAN!" Naruto called out as he entered the Hokage's office. Tsunade sighed. "What do you want?" she asked. Naruto answered with a grin, "Sign me up for the Jonin exam test thing!" Tsunade had predicted this and had the papers already out. She motioned him to a seat. Tsunade handed him the paper, a feather, and a bottle of ink. "Sign here and here," she commanded. Naruto did as Baa-chan said. "Ok, you are part of the team," Tsunade said.

The door opened and Lord Hyuga walked in with Hinata on his heels. Naruto bowed and offered him his seat. Naruto and Hinata went to the other end of the room and sat down. "Hey Hinata," Naruto whispered. "Mo…morning Naruto," she said. Hinata continued, "Are you signing up for the Jonin exams too?" Naruto grinned and answered, "YEAH!" Hinata blushed. She would be with him in the woods for a month. SHE WOULD BE WITH HIM ON HER BIRTHDAY! If she had had an Inner-Hinata then it would be cheering and setting off fireworks. Lord Hyuga stood up and said, "Hinata, come." Hinata obeyed without a word.

After the Hyugas had left, Naruto went back over to Tsunade. "Baa-chan? Is there going to be anyone else besides me and Hinata?" Tsunade looked up from her papers. "Na. We will do a two man team and then a three," She answered. Naruto didn't care. He would have done it alone but since he had company, he would have a friend to talk with. He left without another word. As he left, Naruto saw Shino and his father come in. Naruto shrugged. He smiled. In three days, he would begin to earn one million Yen.

Hokuto123 here. Sorry for short chap. The next one is longer 


	3. A Meal and Walk

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARTERS!!! SO BACK OFF!!! Lights flamethrower

Winter in the Woods chap 3

Hinata walked back with her father. They hadent said a word since leaving Tsunade's office. Hinata longed to go find Naruto. She wanted to talk to him about training before they go. "Fa…father?" The head Hyuga looked at his daughter. "Speak," he commanded. "Ma…may I go train with a fr… friend?" The lead Hyuga scorned at his daughter. "Do as you wish," he said and headed back to their house. "YES!" she whispered.

Naruto parted the curtains at the ramen shop and walked in. "WOOT!" he yelled as he entered. The cook turned around to see his best costumer taking a seat at the bar. He guessed that Naruto had just signed up for the Jonin exam thing. The cook grabbed a bowl and began to make the ramen. He said over his shoulder, "This one's on the house." Naruto cheered at this statement.

He heard the curtains part and turned around. A shy looking Hinata stood there. She sat down next to him and smiled. "Hi Naruto," she said. The cook noticed this new arrival and changed the bowl to a size larger. He had know for a long time that the heir to the Hyuga clan had always like the outcast.

**FLASH BACK: **

Naruto and Iruka sat at the bar with two bowls of ramen. Naruto had just graduated because of his battle with Mizuki. Of course the Hyuga girl had watched the battle. Hinata walked into the shop and sat down beside Naruto. "Co…congratulations on graduating Na…Naruto," Hinata had said. Her face was a bright scarlet. Iruka had noticed during class that Hinata had always looked at Naruto with a red face. He knew that the heir to the Hyuga clan had a HUGE crush on the boy who failed everything. "Thanks Hinata," Naruto said, placing his hands on the back of his head. Iruka nearly passed out. Naruto had a lot of body odor after his fight. Hinata nearly fell off the stool. Iruka quickly shoved Naruto's arms down. If he hadn't, he and Hinata would be on the floor gasping for air. It was that bad. Hinata regained her breath and said, "Maybe we will be on a team together." Naruto smiled. "That would be nice, but I want to be with Sakura." Iruka had already made the teams out. If he had known what would happen in the future, he would have problem rearranged the teams. The cook gave Hinata a ramen on the house after watching the whole incident. He thought Hinata would eventually have her way.

The stove steamed with the freshly cooked pork. It had also cooked the noodles and steamed the vegetables. The cook gathered it all and placed it into one, big bowl. He placed it on the bar and slid it down. Naruto had noticed that the cook had made the bowl larger when Hinata had walked in. He grabbed two pairs of chopsticks before catching the ramen. "Hungry?" the boy asked, offering the sticks. "Ye…yes," Hinata answered, taking the offered chopsticks. They began to eat. Naruto ate slower than normal to give Hinata _something_ to eat. The chopsticks both grabbed a piece of fish at the same time. The two Chunin blushed. The boy let the girl have it. Hinata blushed at the fact that she was eating from the same bowl as her Naruto-kun. A few strands of noodles wrapped around both pairs of chopsticks. Not knowing they were attached, the owners of those sticks began to eat. Naruto looked at Hinata and saw they both had strands of noodles connecting them together. Naruto remembered something like this happing in a movie he saw once about two dogs. But instead of ramen, it was spaghetti. Birds flew off the roves of nearby buildings at the exclamation, "HINATA! DID YOU FAINT AGAIN?!"

Hinata opened her eyes and then closed them again. She was coming back from a dream world. She had been there when she had fainted before. It was a wonderful world in which she and Naruto ran around doing nothing. When they ran, his hand held hers. When they sat, her head on his shoulder. Also, almost everywhere they went, her lips were on his.

Hinata saw two faces above her. One she recognized as Naruto and the other as the cook. "You gave us quite a scare Lady Hinata," the cook said. He gave her some discolored water and told her to drink. She did and felt a warm sensation run through her veins. "You scared us really bad," Naruto added. Hinata had a sudden rush of adrenalin ether from the water or from the recent faint. She then did something she thought she would never do. Hinata reached up and hugged Naruto. Naruto was so startled at this display of affection he fell over on top of her. He rolled over and lay there for a minute with Hinata's arms wrapped around him. She released him, and the boy with a scarlet face stood up. Naruto offered a hand to help the Hyuga up. Hinata took the hand and was pulled up. The cook walked back around the bar shaking his head. He had known this was coming. Naruto and Hinata sat back down and finished the ramen. Hinata was still red when they left the shop.

"Na…Naruto?" Hinata stammered as the left the shop. "Hmm?" Naruto answered absentmindedly. "Do you want to take a walk around the river?" the red-faced Hyuga asked. "Sure!" Naruto answered with his regular energy. Naruto was thinking about what had just happened. Had he dreamt it? What would Sakura think if she had heard this? Did he still like Sakura? Or did he like the girl next to him? Questions swarmed his head. They were all stopped, however, when his had brushed against hers. Hinata had not kept her hands up in the position she normally kept them in when she was around Naruto. She had just let them hang beside her like any other person. They both blushed. The next pass by, the two hands connected. The two ninja blushed redder than the trees in the fall. They walked this way for a while. "Hinata, lets sit down for a minute," Naruto suggested. Hinata nodded. The sun was sinking now. Beyond the village, the mountains lighted up. They sat on a patch of grass as the sun began to set. Hinata did another bold thing. She rested her head on Naruto's shoulder. She blushed at her boldness. Naruto sat there watching the sunset, with a girl resting her head on his shoulder. Today, he was experiencing his first affection from a girl. He too, blushed. He rested his hand on hers. The sunset was the most beautiful thing they had both ever seen. Hinata keep her head on his shoulder. She was surprised when a hand rubbed her head. She looked up and saw Naruto running his had through her hair. Hinata smiled. Naruto-kun was showing her some affection.

Naruto and Hinata stood up. "We need to get home before your dad kills me," Naruto said. "Yeah," Hinata agreed. They started walking towards the Hyuga clan section of the city. "Oh God," Naruto said, "We have to go faster." After he said that, Naruto picked up Hinata and began to walk faster. Hinata blushed. The person she loved was carrying her. They got to the section a little after nine. He walked her to the main door and knocked. Lord Hyuga opened the door instantly. "Come in come in before you catch sickness," he said motioning them in. The two ninja walked inside. The winter was coming earlier than normal. They bowed as they entered. The three walked into an open chamber and the two Chunin sat on the floor as the clan leader took a seat in a big strait-back chair. "I have one question for you," Lord Hyuga said. "What were you all doing?" he asked. "We…" Hinata began. Naruto finished, "We were walking beside the river. We also watched the sunset." Lord Hyuga had figured this. His runt of a daughter had always liked the outcast. Even when he had told her of the demon that rested inside of him, Hinata didn't care. "Very well," Lord Hyuga said. "I was thinking of something along those lines. You may leave," he said. Naruto and Hinata bowed as he left. Naruto was just ready to open the door when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. "Thank you Naruto," Hinata whispered. "Anytime Hinata," Naruto replied with a grin. "I was wondering if we could train tomorrow. I mean, we are the only ones taking the exam thing so I was thinking we could get a little practice in," Hinata asked. Naruto smiled, "Sure." Hinata released him and Naruto made his way out.

Naruto thought about Hinata and Sakura as he walked home. Did he like Hinata or Sakura? Did Hinata do what she did today because she wanted to or because she really did care for an outcast? Naruto pondered these things and many more as he unlocked his apartment. He took a shower and got into bed. "What will I do with Hinata tomorrow?" he said aloud before falling asleep.


	4. Preperation

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!!! If I did, then this would be the main paring.

Winter in the Woods chap 4

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH A BOY!" Lord Hyuga shouted at his daughter. "YOU ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO OUR FAMILY!" He sat down as his daughter stared at her raging father. "We didn't do a thing!" the Hyuga heir said in her defense. "This is what happened. I went to the ramen shop to find Naruto-kun. The cook gave us a big bowl and we ate…" Her father raged, "You and that swine at from the same dish!" Hinata put her finger on her father's lip in an action of shushing him. "Well after that we took a walk and talked about the test we are to be taking in a few days." Hinata purposely left out the part of her fainting and the hugging of Naruto. "That's all?" her father questioned. "Yes. That's all," Hinata said. "You had me worried. I thought he had maybe attacked you or something." Hinata shrugged and left the room. She hoped that her father would not ask the cook about that incident.

Naruto walked in the cold breeze. Snow sputtered from up above. Naruto wrapped himself tighter in his jacket. The nights had grown shorter and colder. Old Man Winter was about to pay the Village Hidden in the Leaves a visit. An old man stood in one of the alleys. He came out at the sign of Naruto and begged for money. Naruto had known what it had felt like in his place. He gave the man twenty Yen; good for a bowl of ramen. The man thanked him profusely and headed off in the direction of the ramen shop. Naruto entered the district of the city where he lived around ten o'clock. He unlocked his apartment and turned around at a sound.

Shikamaru was walking with a blond-haired ninja from the sand village. "Hey Shikamaru!" Naruto called out. Shikamaru and Temari turned around to see Kohana's loudest ninja. "Yo Naruto!" Shikamaru returned. Temari smiled. She clung to Shikamaru's arm. The two ninja walked over to Naruto and sat on a bench. Temari stayed close to Shikamaru. Since she was from Suna, she never had experienced cold snaps. Naruto smiled. It looked like Shikamaru had just had his first successful date. Naruto didn't want to remember the Ino experience.

Naruto waved at them as he walked into his apartment. He looked out the window. Shikamaru and Temari were walking off in the distance. "Good for Shikamaru," Naruto said taking off his shirt. He replaced it with a nightshirt. He did the same with his bottom. Naruto last put on his dog-sleeping hat. Naruto slid undercover and relished the warmth. He thought of the day's events. Hinata had hugged him twice. She had been the first person to ever show him affection. He placed his hands behind his head. He wondered _why _she liked him.

A familiar voice rumbled in his head. "You don't question love kid," the Nine-Tailed Fox said. Naruto pictured the fox snuggling up in a corner of the cage it was kept in. Naruto had seen the fox in the cage when he had needed the chakra to summon Chief Toad. "Why? I have you inside of me. Everyone in the village shuns me with the exception of a few." Naruto said. "Don't question it. Most of the time, love is an once-in-a-lifetime thing. The girl has always admired you. Not only for your talents but also for your courage. She has never had any." The fox said drifting off to sleep. Naruto chewed this thought for a while before drifting to sleep.

Naruto woke the next morning to the shine of the sun. He moved his hand over his face to block the light. He looked around the dimly lit room. Naruto got out of bed and stretched. He touched the ceiling. Naruto look in a drawer and grabbed a box of matches. He lit one and lit a few candles. Naruto also grabbed a new outfit of black, orange, and patches of red. Naruto changed and noticed something on the floor. He picked a letter up. Naruto opened it and read:

To: Naruto U 

Concern: The Jonin Test

You are to report to the new training field #99 today at noon. Your partner has also received this letter.

Anko

Naruto remembered the second part examiner, Anko. She had cut his face with a knife and licked it clean. Naruto placed the letter on his nightstand and walked out.

A man sat on a porch steps with an instrument with six strings over a hole attached to a long shaft. He had a small rounded triangle like object and was strumming the strings of the thing with it. He sang:

_**No one can make me cry  
Make me laugh  
Make me smile  
Or drive me mad like she does  
It's like a curse that is the cure  
Better or worse, one thing's for sure  
It's real love and I don't know what I'd do  
If I lost it**_

He held his hat out asking for money. Naruto tossed a few coin into the man's hat for his song. The song reminded him of Sakura and Sasuke.

Naruto walked past and turned a corner. He ran right into Hinata. Hinata blushed as Naruto caught her. "Thank you Naruto," the young Hyuga thanked. She squeezed his arm with her head and shoulder. Naruto helped her back on her feet and apologized for running into her. "Hinata, you hungry?" he asked. His answer came in the form of a growl emitted from her stomach. Naruto smiled. He was beginning to like the shy girl. The two ninja walked down the street and hooked a right. That landed them right in front of the ramen shop.

The cook looked at his costumers. They had already taken seats. He turned on the grill and threw raw pork on it. He also put water in a bowl and set it on boil. Naruto pulled out his toad purse and prepared the money. The cook handed the bowl to the two hungry ninja and took the money. Naruto and Hinata ate the ramen with out the incident that happened yesterday. The two ninja left the shop and headed, hand in hand, to the test.

**Note: I did not make the song. Kenny Chesney sings it.**


End file.
